Checkers, Shoprite roll out phone payment options

The Shoprite Group announced that customers can now pay with groceries using phone applications to limit contact between staff and tellers.

Mobile phone payments in South Africa are usually in the form of QR apps which connect to your bank cards. Customers at all Shoprite, Usave, Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores will be able to pay with Masterpass, SnapScan, Zapper, FNB Pay or Nedbank Pay in any of the group’s stores.

The group said they will begin installing the necessary QR code within the next two months.

“As retailers we must meet the challenge of the new shopping environment to deliver outstanding product research and buying experiences. Rolling this payment method out enhances our customers’ shopping experience with more options and greater convenience,” Jean Olivier, GM: Financial Services for the group told BusinessTech.

Currently, customers can hand over physical money which has been identified as a source for the spread of the infection or can use their card. While stores are regularly wiping down their pin pads, this still requires multiple people to touch the same machine.

This payment system is already available in 29 Checkers stores and will be rolled out across the country.